All My Children Commentary

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The Best and Worst of All My Children 2013:
We've come to the end of another year, and once again we're saying goodbye to All My Children. This week we take one last look back at the things t... Read the column now...

After Amanda and Randi touched base on how nervous the preparations for the Bella launch party made them feel, Kendall arrived and put a damper on the room as she noted that her employees had rushed into things by holding the party without doing research or focus groups first. She made sure to assert that all expenses should be paid out of the Bella expense account, and clarified that she would be at the party, as the perfume would still be marketed under the Fusion name.

Erica found Ryan on the beach as he tried to remember the things that should be important in his life, and Erica admitted needing to do the same. She asked if he wanted to talk about it, and he confessed that Annie had moved out and taken Emma with her, and that he didn't know what to do about it. When Erica asked if he was still in love with Annie, Ryan felt compelled to tell her that he wasn't sure that he ever had been. He then lamented that he would no longer be living with his little girl, and the worry he had about explaining to Emma what had happened. Erica assured him that he would find a way, especially because he was one of the best men she had ever known.

He then confessed to another factor that led to Annie's leaving, and Erica guessed that he was still in love with Greenlee. She told him that he would never find happiness if he stayed on that road, and he agreed, given how in love and happy Greenlee was with her new husband. Erica commiserated about how hard things would be with young children involved, and encouraged him to make sure Annie didn't leave town. She felt it was of the utmost importance that Emma and the little one on the way not feel that their father abandoned them. Ryan promised that he would never let that happen, but admitted that if Annie did end up leaving, it would be to get away from him. To chase her down would mostly likely make her run even further. Erica then said she hoped he would be able to find a workable compromise.

Annie showed up at the Chandler mansion at Babe's invitation, so that she and Emma wouldn't have to continue to stay at a hotel. Shortly after, Babe and JR came downstairs to welcome them, and Adam joined them and asked what had happened. Annie explained that she had moved out, and JR followed and said that they would be guests until Annie figured out what to do next. While Carmen took Emma to the kitchen to have breakfast with Little Adam, and JR took their bags upstairs, Babe hugged Annie, which allowed Annie to share a knowing glance with the family patriarch. Babe then left for work, and once Annie retreated upstairs, Adam took the opportunity to chide his son for letting the house become Hotel Chandler. JR asked his father to try to have a heart, and noted that Annie's stay wouldn't be long. Adam then asked his son if there had been any further information regarding the Fusion takeover. JR noted that he should soon hear from his PI, but if nothing came of it, he had another option they could pursue.

Babe arrived at work late but was pleased to hear how well arrangements were going for the party. Kendall chimed in with a repeat of her hope that their rush to promote wouldn't sully the Fusion name. Only mildly perturbed, Babe simply retorted that she felt they did a fantastic job given the tight turnaround time that they'd had. Kendall then asked why Annie hadn't come to work, and Babe told the group that Annie had left Ryan and would be staying at the mansion until further notice. Kendall immediately noted how sorry she was for what Ryan must be going through, and Amanda brushed it all off as another relationship that bit the dust. Randi returned at that moment with the advertising to be used for Bella. Amanda then admitted that the art department felt they needed more than one choice. She pulled out the poster that they expected, which featured a medium image of a somewhat humbled Babe, followed by the second option, which featured a much more prominent and sexier image of Amanda. Kendall wasted no time gloating over how much drama that would cause.

Babe and Amanda clashed over which poster would work best and asked Randi for her opinion. The newest employee purposefully removed herself from the line of fire and refused to choose sides. The women finally asked Kendall what she thought, but Kendall blithely noted that since she was not involved with the development, she should not have a say in the advertising. Erica arrived just then and Kendall thought it a good idea to see what the general public would think. Before they left for lunch, the mother-daughter duo effectively tore apart both ads as they disrespected the woman behind each. Erica mused that that a perfume that was designed to be "cheap and easy" was perfectly suited for Babe's face. Kendall noted that men would be all over Amanda's photo like flies on a rotten peach. Once alone again, Amanda admitted to an error in not discussing the other option with Babe, but Babe was done and told Amanda that since it was her money, she should do what she wanted. Babe left for lunch as well, and Amanda gleefully decided that she would use her own image.

Angie visited the Martin household and gave them a surprise break from painting with a batch of brownies she brought. While Krystal and Kathy ran to get first pick, Angie helped clean Tad up as he noted how happy he was that his daughter seemed to be settling in. Tad was then called out to pick which brownie he wanted and Angie pointed out, somewhat to Krystal's chagrin, that Kathy was indeed turning out to be Daddy's little girl.

Tad and Kathy landed back in the living room and played with her dolls-minus the mommy doll, which Kathy told him she lost-while Angie accompanied Krystal on a quick trip upstairs. As they came back down, Angie filled Krystal in on how she and Jesse had been settling back into married life. She also confessed that she'd inadvertently asked him what he'd done for the twenty years they'd been apart, even though she knew he didn't want to discuss it. She admitted that she wasn't sure she actually wanted to know, but knew that until they discussed it, those years would continue to be an elephant in the room. Krystal suggested that Angie give her husband time, with the assurance that he would eventually come around.

Krystal sat with Angie and Tad as she tried to make a sandwich for Kathy the way her mom used to make them. Kathy played along for a while but when Krystal cut the sandwich the wrong way, the little girl protested. Angie chimed in that the sandwich would taste the same, but when Krystal offered to make another sandwich to appease Tad's newest daughter, Kathy angrily said she didn't want another one and stomped out of the room.

Angie bid her friends goodbye and Tad walked her out. Angie reminded Tad that he shouldn't let Krystal get too down on herself for Kathy's behavior and Tad agreed to pass the message along. After Angie headed to her car, Tad spotted a doll in the bushes and picked up the headless version of what was once Kathy's mommy doll.

Adam reconnected with Annie and gave somewhat sincere sympathy for the emotional hardship she would endure after her split with Ryan. Unbeknownst to them, Carmen approached the living room doors and overheard Annie agree to continue to help with the Fusion takeover. That said, Adam agreed to let Annie stay in his house as long as she needed. He left the room, and Carmen followed him in short order. Moments later, Richie made an appearance and applauded his sister for what he felt was a gutsy move. She told him that it might have been, but it also might have cost her Ryan for good.

Erica and Kendall decided to have lunch at ConFusion, and as they waited to be seated, Erica congratulated her daughter on letting Babe and Amanda run with their ideas, as they would learn a valuable lesson when they failed. Kendall partially agreed, but then admitted that she needed to get her priorities in order. She told her mother that while it drove her crazy to not be at the wheel on the new project, she couldn't seem to let go when Zach wanted some alone time with her. She chalked it up to how she normally was and said that Zach would understand, but Erica told her not to take his efforts so lightly. Because she believed that men didn't normally wear their hearts on their sleeve, Erica felt it was important that Kendall find out what Zach really wanted to say instead of finding out after it was too late-and Zach did something like fall into bed with Carmen.

Kendall realized that Erica had again displaced Kendall's drama, and asked how Carmen's liaison with Jack made her feel. Erica initially tried to act as though it didn't bother her, but realized quickly that she couldn't pull one over on Kendall. Kendall asked Erica if she'd decided that she wanted Jack once and for all, or if she wanted to be with Samuel, but saw immediately in her mother's face that she wanted both. Kendall told her that since she couldn't have the best of both worlds, she needed to make a choice. She followed that point with the assertion that if Erica couldn't handle Jack being with someone else, she needed to make that clear to Jack.

Erica swore that she was fine with Jack's new relationship and that she wasn't jealous of Carmen or what she viewed as an encounter that would not last. Kendall pointed out that Carmen had proven herself to be an upstanding woman and had even shown that she could handle the likes of Adam Chandler. At the mention of his name, Erica sounded completely put off, and told her daughter that Adam Senior had become more annoying as the days had passed. She gave her daughter an overview of how Adam had delighted in tormenting her, but instead of being outraged, Kendall was amused. Erica said that Adam would find himself on the business end of her wrath if he didn't cease and desist.

Pete paid a visit to the Chandler Estate with the express purpose of asking to be Colby's date at the Fusion launch event. The young girl in question, who came down to the foyer at his arrival, turned him down repeatedly, even though Adam, who joined them from the living room, encouraged her to be a nicer person. Pete continued to hint that Adam should help him out in this regard as payment for the havoc he planned to wreak with Fusion perfumes, but none of the discussion won Colby over. She stalked away, but not before she heard her father invite Pete as their guest. Adam then cut Pete off at the knees and sent him scurrying back out the door. There was a knock mere moments later, and when Adam angrily answered it, he found Ryan at his threshold. Ryan asked to speak with Annie and, in the living room, Annie overheard and had hope.

Annie put her game face back on, went into the foyer, and told Adam that she would talk with her husband. Adam made himself scarce and Annie asked Ryan what he wanted. He told her that he wanted to check on her and their daughter to find out how they were doing. Annie painted him a less than happy picture of his girls and then said that, although she hadn't told Emma what happened, she would. She encouraged him to leave, as she needed time to clear her head and figure out her next steps. Before he could make it out of the door, Emma appeared from the kitchen and charged at her father. He picked her up quickly and relished in the hug his child gave him in return.

Emma immediately asked if they would return home soon as a family, which forced the newly separated duo to have the discussion they had tried to delay. Ryan confirmed that they would live apart, and Emma reminded him that he promised he would never leave again. He then told her that despite that, both he and Annie still loved her the same way they always had, and that she would be able to see either of them as much as she wanted. He left a short time later, after he told his little girl to be brave and that he would see her soon.

JR heard from his PI and found out that Kendall and Greenlee had spent their money wisely when it came to their products, and didn't use anything shady in production. Although dismayed, Adam asked about JR's other idea and found out about the new perfume that was put into production without Kendall or Greenlee's approval. Adam initially thought that JR wanted to use that to get the distributors to push for a buyout, since Kendall and Greenlee were not supportive, but JR wanted to take a different tack. He suggested that they let Babe prove herself from the inside, and thus avoid any dirty work. Adam surprised him when he offered his ready agreement.

Babe returned home in a foul mood and filled her ex-husband in on the details of her run-in with Amanda. He asked if she had any say, and although she did, she told him that because Amanda paid for the development, she felt she couldn't fight too hard. JR encouraged her to keep her eyes on the ultimate goal, but she told him that she needed to make sure the product was a success, lest her career be destroyed. He told her that she had no worries and then soothed away the rest of her fears when he seduced her into some noontime fun.

Afterwards, as they lay in bed, JR told Babe that he'd revealed the new product to his father with a measure of success. Babe thought that Adam probably disregarded his former daughter-in-law as usual, but was surprised to hear that Adam thought it was a good idea. She thought perhaps he had turned over a new leaf, but JR wasn't so sure. He thought they needed to proceed carefully, as it might be possible that Adam had something else up his sleeve.

Annie sent Emma off and found Adam as he lurked once again in the living room. She asked him about his plans for the launch party and he told her that all she needed to know was that the party would be a blast, and that blast would lead to Kendall and Greenlee's downfall.

As her youngest daughter slept on the floor nearby, Krystal climbed a ladder in the living room and got back to work. Kathy returned to the room unseen and shook the ladder and sent Krystal careening off and headed directly at Jenny.

Frankie visited Jesse at the police station. Frankie worried that Fletcher was going to hurt Randi. Jesse believed that Fletcher had left town, but he assigned an undercover police officer to secretly watch Randi, just in case. After Frankie left, an officer told Jesse that the blood on the wrench was Richie's. Jesse was elated because it meant that Dre, Cassandra, and Colby were exonerated. The officer also revealed that he had more news, but he warned Jesse that he would not like it.

Randi and Amanda were getting ready for the launch party of Bella, the perfume that Amanda and Babe created. Taylor was moving onto Amanda's yacht, so the two women invited her to the party. Taylor was apprehensive because she only had a frumpy black dress to wear. Randi offered to give Taylor a makeover and lent her a sexy dress. When Taylor entered the party, Amanda noticed that her date, Jake, seemed very attracted to Taylor. Amanda looked annoyed.

Fletcher pretended to be a deliveryman to sneak into the party at ConFusion. He watched Randi as she enjoyed the party. As Randi talked to Amanda and Taylor, he grabbed her. Randi screamed and Taylor lunged for Fletcher. Taylor grabbed him by the throat and restrained him. As Taylor held him, she recalled fighting in the war and proceeded to snap his neck. Jake and Frankie ran to the women and saw Fletcher lying motionless on the floor. Jake felt his pulse and announced, "He's dead." Taylor looked horrified.

Kendall and Greenlee arrived at ConFusion for the launch party. Kendall and Greenlee were annoyed because Amanda and Babe were not at the party yet. Kendall then saw Aidan and noticed that he had a black eye. Just as Kendall inquired about the injury, Erica and Ryan entered the party. Ryan and Aidan both looked sheepish, but said nothing. Kendall pulled Ryan and Erica aside. Kendall asked Ryan what happened. Ryan did not want to discuss it and walked away. Erica urged her daughter to give Ryan "space." Kendall did not take her mother's advice and continued to press Ryan for information. Ryan told Kendall that Aidan punched him because he was mad that another man was in love with his wife. Ryan further explained that Annie left him because she also found out that he was in love with Greenlee. Ryan stated that Kendall was the reason for his predicament because she told Greenlee that he loved her.

Greenlee encouraged Aidan and Ryan to make up, but Ryan and Aidan would not even look at each other. She said that, because they were at a party, they should at least shake hands. The two men unenthusiastically shook hands. She thanked them and then went to speak with Kendall. Greenlee felt that Aidan and Ryan's fight was Kendall's fault. Greenlee wished that Kendall never revealed that Ryan loved her.

Ryan saw Annie and wanted to speak with her. She snidely noted that there was nothing to say, but he persisted. She asked if he was in love with Greenlee and he said nothing, which made her irate. Jake saw Annie and told her that she should be resting. After Jake walked away, Ryan questioned Annie about her health. She stated that he had no right to ask her about the pregnancy, but he felt that he had every right, since the child was his. She stormed off.

Aidan approached Annie at the bar. He wondered how Annie was doing. She commented that Ryan loved Greenlee. Aidan replied that Greenlee loved him, so Annie should get back together with Ryan. She declared that Ryan needed to fight hard to win her back.

Erica saw Jack arrive with Carmen as his date. All three of them exchanged small talk, but it was an uncomfortable conversation. Carmen went to the bathroom and Jack tried to talk with Erica. Erica cut Jack off and told him to stop throwing his relationship with Carmen in her face.

Kendall left Zach multiple messages. She wanted to know when he planned to come to the party. Erica overheard one of Kendall's frantic calls and questioned her daughter about Zach's whereabouts. Kendall divulged that Zach was very busy with work. Erica wondered if their marriage was doing well, so Kendall insisted that they were fine. Kendall asked her mother how she felt about seeing Jack with Carmen. Erica quipped, "At least they have clothes on this time."

Adam told Pete to be his lookout as he tainted the Bella perfume with a liquid he brought in a secret vile. Adam then urged Babe to try on the fragrance. Babe replied that she was already wearing another perfume, but Colby was eager to try Bella. Adam and Pete tried to stop Colby, but she insisted and sprayed herself with the scent. Adam and Pete were relieved to see nothing bad happen to Colby.

Krystal fell off of the ladder and almost crushed Jenny. Jenny cried as Tad ran into the room. Tad wondered what happened. Krystal was distraught as she explained that Kate had pushed her off of the ladder, which almost fell on Jenny. He could not believe that Kate was capable of such a malicious act, but Krystal insisted that the little girl was guilty. Tad asked Kate if she tried to hurt Krystal and the little girl adamantly denied it. Meanwhile, Jenny continued to cry, so Krystal thought that the baby might have gotten hurt in the crash.

Tad and Krystal called Jake and he came over to check on Jenny. Jake assured them that Jenny was in shock, but was physically healthy. Jake asked to borrow cufflinks from Tad, so Tad left the room to get them. Jake questioned Krystal about how the accident occurred. She explained that Jenny hated her and intentionally tried to push her off the ladder. Tad reentered the room and yelled at Krystal for constantly accusing Kate of misdoings. Jake left, and Tad and Krystal proceeded to fight about Kate. Krystal wanted to get the little girl professional help, but Tad thought that Krystal was overreacting.

Krystal noted that, in Tad's opinion, Dixie could never do any wrong, so Kate could not do any wrong either. Tad looked hurt by the dig, so Krystal apologized. Still, Krystal persisted that Kate needed help. Krystal threatened that if Tad did not protect Jenny, then she would be forced to do whatever it took to protect the baby from Kate. Tad started to consider getting Kate professional help.

As Taylor grabbed Fletcher by the neck, she remembered fighting off other soliders in combat. Instantly, she twisted Fletcher's neck and he slumped to the ground. Jake and Frankie ran into the room as Carmen ushered out onlookers. Taylor put her hand over her mouth as Jake said Frankie was dead. Randi and Amanda came back to the bar still shaken up from the incident with Fletcher.

Back at Fusion Cosmetics, Taylor told Jake that her gut instinct kicked in when she saw Fletcher attack Randi. Frankie stayed close to Randi while Jesse arrived at ConFusion. As Jesse tried to ask Randi questions, Taylor informed him that she was responsible for Fletcher's death. Taylor said saw Fletcher attack Randi, put him in a chokehold, and broke his neck. Jesse took Randi and Taylor to the police station for questioning. Randi told Jesse that Taylor appeared to be in another world while she was handling Fletcher. Taylor told Jesse that she used the chokehold on Fletcher because it was more effective than anything else, such as a kick or punch. When Jesse asked Taylor why she did not release Fletcher when he was pretty much defeated, Taylor said she was not trained to stop. But Jesse reminded Taylor she was no longer in the field. She was in a bar as a civilian. Jesse said that he believed Taylor acted in self-defense and no charges would be filed. Before going to Amanda's yacht, Randi thanked Taylor for saving her. Frankie decided to stay with Randi so she would not be alone. Taylor went to Jake's cabin to unwind.

Zach and his associates discovered that $20 million was missing from the company accounts. Kendall called Zach to see why he never came to ConFusion. Zach said he was tied up at work. Zach finally found something strange in the paperwork.

Ryan asked Annie why she was at the party when Joe ordered her to be on bed rest. Annie was surprised that Ryan had found out about the doctor's instructions. Annie said her conversation with Joe was none of his business. Ryan scolded Annie for lying to him, but she said Ryan had been lying about his feelings for Greenlee. Ryan offered to take Annie home, but she did not want to miss the party. Kendall went to check on Annie and Ryan when she saw them fighting. Kendall told Annie about Randi being attacked by a man who had since begun resting in a body bag. Kendall asked Annie to "be on damage control," but Ryan wanted to finish talking to his wife. Annie walked off after making a remark that Ryan was trying to hurt the baby purposely by stressing her out. Kendall said that Annie was being evil if she was using Ryan's children against him.

Kendall told Amanda that the "Bella" launch was a complete waste of money. Not to mention, it associated death with the company again. Amanda said it was not her fault that some crazy man came after Randi. Kendall threatened to take the perfume off the shelves if any bad press came from the event. She told Aidan not to interfere with Greenlee and Ryan's destiny. Next, Annie told him that Greenlee was making a fool of everyone. But Aidan said Annie was the one walking away from Ryan expecting him to chase her.

Suddenly, Josh rushed up to Kendall begging for her help.

Greenlee found Ryan on the roof. Ryan said Annie took Emma away from him. But he knew if Greenlee were the mother of his children, she would never resort to such measures. Ryan said he was having a hard time letting go of what their life could have been like together.

Colby dabbed some "Bella" perfume on her arm. Adam pulled Petey to the side to figure out how to get the scent off Colby before she got a rash. Petey said Colby would not suffer any serious side effects from the drug that was put into the perfume. Babe asked Amanda who the attacker was, but Amanda said it was only a man from Randi's past. JR and Babe went home after seeing Colby acting as though she was intoxicated. Colby's behavior did not improve when she got home. Petey took Colby outside for some fresh air. She accused Petey of drugging her, but Petey denied the accusations. JR thought it was strange his father did not seem that concerned about Colby's health.

Angie asked Jesse how Randi was holding up after being attacked by Fletcher. Jesse said Randi was recovering well. Despite Angie's reservations about Randi, she said it was good that Frankie was there to help. Jesse and Angie hoped that Randi could start a new life. Angie asked Jesse if he was ever with another woman seriously during their time apart. Jesse said he had one-night stands, but nothing substantial. Jesse said that he had to seek psychological help for one year after having a mental breakdown from the stress of his secret life. Jesse said he did not tell Angie because he was so ashamed.

On Amanda's yacht, Randi told Frankie how she dreamed of the perfect family. But her life consisted of foster home after foster home. Randi said she never had anyone in her life she could count on until Frankie came along. But she was scared about having a boyfriend and making love with a man for the first time. Randi said she was used to doing things without any emotion. But, of course, it was different with Frankie.

Jake tried to get Taylor to talk more about her time in Iraq by explaining his life in Africa. Jake said it was tough being around children who were suffering so badly in Africa. He said the only way to deal with it was to talk about it. Jake said he knew that Taylor was having nightmares about her experiences in Iraq. Taylor decided to rehash one of her memories from in Iraq. Taylor said the vehicle she and her crew were riding in was hit by terrorists. Four of her men died instantly in the explosion, she said. Taylor said Frankie was thrown to the side, but not seriously injured. Taylor remembered she was attacked from behind, but managed to break the neck of her attacker quickly. However, Taylor's fiancé, Brot, was hurt pretty badly. He died one week later in Germany. Amanda interrupted the conversation before Taylor could say any more.

Taylor went back to the yacht. Randi was asleep, but Frankie was still there. Taylor said she would keep an eye on Randi if Frankie wanted to go home. Frankie went home, but Jesse was gone. Jesse went to ConFusion to meet someone. Frankie got redeployment papers in the mail ordering him to go back to Iraq.

Josh said Zach thought he was involved in some problems at work. Josh wanted Kendall to go with him to talk to Zach. She said Zach would be kind to Josh if he came clean about a mistake. Josh told Kendall he loved her, hugged her tightly, and scurried off.

Zach told his employees to bring him the man suspected of stealing from his company. Josh was suddenly grabbed by two of Zach's men while walking on the street. They brought Josh to Zach, who asked if he knew anything about missing money at the casinos. Josh said someone hacked into his computer and stole the money. Josh told him to call another accountant, but the accountant did not answer the phone. Josh asked Zach if he was going to kill him as Kendall walked into the room.

Annie told Aidan that Greenlee and Ryan were on the roof together. Annie wanted Aidan to go interrupt them, but Aidan stayed put at ConFusion. Aidan said he was not fighting Annie's battles for her. But Annie said she was tired of fighting for Ryan. Annie went to see Adam, who was overjoyed about the party. Annie asked Adam why Adam would not tell her what his plan was to bring down Fusion.

Greenlee told Ryan he had to let go of their past relationship. She wanted Ryan to be as happy as her and Aidan. But Ryan's relationship with Annie made any chance of happiness complicated. Ryan said he had given up everything for his children, but Annie wanted to take them away from him. Aidan rushed up to the roof and warned Ryan to stay out of Greenlee's life. Greenlee followed Aidan when he demanded that she leave. Once they got home, Greenlee scolded Aidan for being so rude to Ryan. Aidan said he forbade Greenlee from seeing Ryan. But Greenlee was not so keen on Aidan telling her whom she could or could not be friends with. Greenlee said staying away from Ryan was a huge sacrifice.

Ryan angrily tore his tie off and threw it off the roof. Kendall found the tie on the floor in ConFusion. Ryan went to Adam's house to see Emma, but Annie would not let him. Annie said she saw Ryan and Greenlee on the roof. Ryan said Annie should not make Emma suffer because of their problems. After Ryan left, Adam told Annie he did not approve of her using their children against Ryan. Adam said her plan would only push Ryan away even more. Frustrated, Annie decided to call Ryan.